The engineering and race professionals from Mazda presented the nuances of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to a group of high school-age students May 27 at Martin Luther King High School in Detroit.

Even though its first prototype car has no pedals or steering wheel, it's correct to say that Google is putting the pedal to the metal in its quest to develop fully self-driving vehicles. The company on May 27 released a photo of its prototype and announced that it will build about 100 of them.

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has completed its development of the ALOS-2:DAICHI-2 advanced land-observation satellite based on a contract awarded to the company by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2009.

VariGlide has undergone more than 70,000 hours of durability testing, and leverages more than 600 U.S. and international patents and patent applications for a new transmission design for forklifts that incorporates continuously variable planetary technology.

Novel nanostructured AHSS sheet is readily cold-formable on existing production systems. NanoSteel, which developed the new AHSS alloys, is working to provide samples for trial by automakers such as General Motors as the new metals near the end of performance trials by domestic and foreign steel mills.

The actual J1349 rating is more than 100 hp more than Chrysler engineers teased in late May. The automaker's first production supercharged V8 uses a Lysholm-type twin-screw supercharger supplied by IHI. The engine's high-output spec required extensive upgrading of engine reciprocating components to handle the extra loads.

The key architectural approach to minimize connectivity interfaces acts as a secure, intelligent gateway between the car and external devices or networks to better guard against malicious or sensitive data from being compromised.

ViCANdo from Zuragon is a multimedia software tool for development, physical testing, and validation of various applications such as vehicle fleets, hybrid-electric systems, active safety systems, autonomous vehicles, and HMI systems.

Visteon's Horizon cockpit concept blends three emerging technologies—including 3-D gesture recognition—to transform the way a driver controls features such as interior temperature, audio, and navigation.

Results of the 14th annual automotive industry study by Planning Perspectives on major U.S. and Japanese OEMs' working relations with their suppliers show Toyota, Honda, and Nissan taking the top spots.

Design groups want chips that save space and reduce weight, so Maxim has focused on these challenges with a pair of products that reduce board space and let engineers transition to lighter-weight cabling.

Texas Instruments hopes to extend the role of Bluetooth with one of the first devices that uses Bluetooth Smart, a low-energy version of the standard that’s already a mainstay in connectivity and infotainment. Replacing cables with wireless links is part of a corporate strategy to continue an expansion that made TI the fastest growing automotive semiconductor supplier in 2013.

A server is the central point for all Generation 2 Blue Link communication, giving Hyundai early, direct access to customers. The updated Blue Link now has Google Destination Search, a 3G modem, and a larger touchscreens in control stack.

In a deal that will create the world's largest automotive interiors company, U.S.-based Johnson Controls is forming a joint venture with China-based Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems Co., Ltd., which is a unit of automaker Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.

Michael Duoba (SAE Member, 1993), Vehicle Test Engineer and team leader for the Advanced Powertrain Research Facility at Argonne National Laboratory, discuss his career progression and the type of work conducted at his lab.

Boeing and Embraer S.A. announced plans to open a joint research center to advance a sustainable aviation biofuel industry in Brazil. The two companies will perform joint biofuel research, as well as fund and coordinate research with Brazilian universities and other institutions.

In May, BorgWarner announced that it had begun production of its electronically controlled Visctronic fan drives at its new plant in Itatiba City, Brazil. According to Daniel Paterra, President and General Manager, BorgWarner Thermal Systems, the Itatiba City plant "allows us to produce advanced technologies for our customers locally, and our new engineering center expands BorgWarner’s network of technical centers, enhancing our local testing and validation capabilities.”

The U.S. Navy selected Sikorsky Aircraft to build the next fleet of Marine One helicopters for the Office of the President. With the selection comes a $1.24 billion Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract to modify, test, and deliver six FAA-certified S-92 helicopters and two trainer simulators to the U.S.

Vehicular traffic deaths decline, but pedestrian fatalities unchanged. Proposed solutions range from greater use of roundabouts, new signaling, and vehicles with pedestrian detection and auto-braking. Some success found with driver and pedestrian education. "Vision Zero" program adopted in New York City.

ANSYS and GE Aviation have established a new joint technology collaboration agreement that will help solve future engineering challenges and drive product development processes. ANSYS and GE Aviation will work together over a range of applications to establish forward-looking analysis techniques that leverage expertise from both parties.